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Thursday, 26 January 2012

Wales - Heather Burning Leaflet

A new leaflet has been published to provide guidance about heather & grass burning in Wales. To a casual observer it is a strange document that seems to serve little purpose.

I would not argue with the sentence on the website that states, "Burning can be dangerous and cause damage to the environment and wildlife." if it was placed in context. Where is the balancing statement about the benefits that well conducted burning can provide?

My view remains that good burning is good; bad burning needs to be stamped out. This can only be achieved by encouraging people to get the training and experience needed to burn properly. Emphasising the negative side of burning will result in less effort and more areas of rank heather that is looking for a way to die. Heather beetle needs no second invitation, as I witnessed first hand in mid-Wales last year.

If we want to retain heather in Wales, it needs more management, not less.